Australian soul band The Bluesberries have joined the Mariupol Chamber Orchestra ‘Renaissance’ to record and film Morning Sun, a song that pays tribute to the many sacrifices made by Ukrainians and one that aims to bolster spirits and raise much-needed funds for those injured by Russia’s invasion.

The song features outstanding Ukrainian soprano Maryana Golovko and an arrangement by countryman Eugene Braha.

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The Mariupol Chamber Orchestra ‘Renaissance’ is led by founding conductor Vasyl Kryachok, who sheltered Ukrainians in his theatre while the Russians laid siege to the city. Kryachok and some of his musicians managed to escape the Russian forces. They reformed the orchestra in Kyiv.

 

Morning Sun was composed by Australian musician and BBC producer Daniel Fallon (Ciaran Gribbin, The Cockroaches, The John Field Band) and English producer and music director Paul Beard (Robbie Williams, James Blunt, Art Garfunkel) and made possible by Australian entrepreneur, musician and philanthropist John McMurtrie AM.

 

The song and music video were recorded in Kyiv and Sydney. The project was managed and produced in Ukraine by Polina Velichko.

Morning Sun is the follow up to The Bluesberries’ Blue Skies EP launch in December 2022, which featured the Youth Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine, led by emerging classical star Illia Bondarenko, Maryana Golovko, and the renowned Shchedryk Children’s Choir of Kyiv.

 

The music videos have reached almost 1 million streams. The project raised money for Ukrainian refugees via UNHCR.

The song and music video will be launched across three performances at The Vanguard in Sydney, on Tuesday February 4, Wednesday February 12 and Wednesday February 19. Money raised during these shows will go towards the Superhumans Center, which helps rehabilitate those people who have lost limbs in the conflict, and I'Mariupol, a charity that supports the internally displaced people from Mariupol.